Ranting on Social Media: Innocent Comment Platform or Bully Pulpit?

Author: Terri Williams

Date: February 21, 2017

Link: https://www.digitalethics.org/essays/ranting-social-media-innocent-comment-platform-or-bully-pulpit

First Impression: The essay probably discusses how social media is being used as a platform by people to share their ranting toward companies who do not serve their customers properly.

Quote: “One of the pleasures of social media is that it can feel like any other conversation with rapid-fire back-and-forth – but it's exactly that immediacy, especially when we're excited or riled up, that can lead to posting thoughts and perceptions we'll later regret having said in public.”

Reflection: 

Now that the internet is being used as a tool for connecting with one another, primarily through social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. We can hear each other even more and be able to support one another through comments, shares, and likes. We are freer than ever to express our feelings and emotions, thoughts, and ideas with one another. A good example would be giving reviews on a company Facebook page such as Nike, whether good or bad, we are still heard unlike before, we can not do anything; basically, we are constrained to talking and had no freedom of expression. By giving reviews to these pages, whether good or bad, we can freely share our experiences with these companies. People who follow the page will be able to see and influence them through reviews. With this, if a customer gives a poor review, companies are then put into the pressure of why they provided improper customer service so that they can resolve the issue of the customer and do excellently next time. In conclusion, social media is a powerful tool for communication, which helps people to be heard, unlike anything we have ever seen before and improves communication with different companies and organizations through rants, reviews, and comments.

5 Things I Learned

1. Some people earn benefits when ranting on social media

2. Companies who receive rants from their customers should act immediately so that it won’t influence others.

3. When one is about to post a rant about something, he/she must first cool down.

4. If you do not answer the person who is ranting about you, he/she will rant even more than her rant yesterday.

5. People who rant on social media could lose reputation.

5 Integrative Questions

1. Is using social media for ranting ethical if the purpose of some is to abuse their power of ranting?

2. By ranting do we have control over these companies/friends/restaurants?

3. What are the benefits of ranting?

4. Does ranting help boost the productivity of a business?

5. How can we determine if a rant is real or not?